Those who have been following the Fort Bend County courthouse drama predicted several months ago, after former County Judge KP George came in fifth in the Republican primary and was subsequently convicted of felony money laundering, that residents would be primed to elect a Democrat to lead commissioners court.
And that Democrat would almost certainly be Dexter McCoy, the 34-year-old Precinct 4 commissioner, a product of Fort Bend County schools and former Obama staffer. But a visiting magistrate tapped Republican Daniel Wong to serve as interim county judge in April and now McCoy’s race to the judge’s seat has become slightly more challenging.
McCoy got 15,569 more votes than the second-place finisher in the March Democratic primary, but, due to a crowded race, he didn’t get the necessary 50 percent to avoid a runoff. He’s now facing Sugar Land Municipal Court Associate Judge Rachelle Carter for the party nomination on May 26.
Early voting began Monday, May 18, and extends through Friday, May 22. Sample ballots and polling places are listed on the Fort Bend County website.
The winner of the Democratic primary runoff will face Wong, an engineer and former Sugar Land City Council member, in November. Wong won his primary outright in March and was installed last month as interim Fort Bend County judge. So now, despite not winning an election, Wong is the incumbent on the ballot and is currently presiding over the Fort Bend County Commissioners Court.
McCoy wasn’t thrilled about Wong’s appointment but said Monday he’s sticking to the script he’s stood by since he launched his campaign for judge in December: building an economy that lowers costs and lifts wages, restoring ethical leadership, fighting for democracy and supporting education.
“It’s the same message, the same things I’ve been fighting for since being on commissioners court,” said McCoy, who was elected to Precinct 4 in 2022. “The support has been incredibly overwhelming. I wish we would have had this incredible amount of support in the primary so we could avoid the runoff. I am so grateful that people see the challenge ahead of us and believe that I am their champion to take on this fight. I think it’s indicative of the message we have been consistently pushing, that we need to be fighting for people, not politicians.”
Carter did not respond to a request for comment.
McCoy was recently endorsed by U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico. He’s also backed by Congress members Lizzie Fletcher and Christian Menefee, and state representatives Gene Wu and Jon Rosenthal. He’s raised more than $221,000. The candidate acknowledged, however, that even if he wins the runoff next week, he has a lot of work to do before November.
Galveston County Judge Jeth Jones, is a Republican who was presiding over a civil matter involving allegations that George violated the First Amendment rights of speakers in commissioners court, made the choice to remove George from office and appoint Wong to serve until the November election.
McCoy’s campaign speculated at the time that a “backroom deal” was made to help the GOP win in November.
“It is very frustrating to me and to many of the residents in this community that a visiting district court judge from Galveston bypassed the ballot box to install someone with no county experience to be our county judge,” McCoy said. “But I think this offers the opportunity for people to see on full display the type of leader he will be.”
Wong’s appointment came after Fort Bend County commissioners voted in late March to name longtime Commissioner Grady Prestage as the court’s presiding officer, meaning Prestage would also serve as the county’s emergency management director in a disaster. With Prestage essentially in charge, there were two Republicans and two Democrats on the court. A tie vote would result in a failed motion.
University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus, who said in February that McCoy had a clear advantage of winning the general election, noted last month that the surprise interim appointment changed the game and gave Wong a “leg up.”
“Voters respond differently to an incumbent versus someone who is not, but being an incumbent is a double-edged sword,” Rottinghaus said. “It means you’re liable for the mistakes you’ve made in office but if you’re only in office for nine months, the likelihood of you making a big mistake is pretty low.”
Wong wasn’t appointed because he got the most votes in either March primary. McCoy secured 29,286 votes from Democratic voters; Wong got 27,495 in the GOP race. That signals, at least to McCoy, that a Democrat can win in November.
“Gas prices are going up every day and people are exhausted with that,” McCoy said. “We’re seeing what Republicans are doing across the country now, trying to take political power away from the voters. I think people are really fed up with it, and I think they’re going to demonstrate their anger at the polls. I think that’s going to mean incredible gains for Democrats. There are people, young and old, who are finding their voice and their place in this movement for the very first time.”
One thing Fort Bend County voters agree on is that they don’t want George as their leader. The former judge was convicted in March of felony money laundering and is scheduled for sentencing in June, at which time he faces up to 10 years in prison.
George was twice elected as a Democrat but switched parties last year in the midst of his legal troubles, flipping the Fort Bend County Commissioners Court to a 3-2 GOP majority. During a redistricting effort last year it was established that Fort Bend County is “solidly purple,” with its voters split down the middle of red versus blue.
Protesters lined up outside Fort Bend County Commissioners Court when Wong presided over his first meeting in April. Residents weren’t happy about what they say appeared to be election-rigging, and it didn’t do anything to assuage their fears when Wong hired Trever Nehls as his chief of staff and assigned him a six-figure salary, more than double the amount that other court employees are taking home, McCoy said.
“It’s completely wasting taxpayer dollars. These are the early examples of what type of judge he will be,” McCoy said. “I don’t think people like that.”
Nehls is the GOP nominee for a U.S. Congressional seat and is viewed as a MAGA Republican who, along with his twin brother Troy Nehls, pledges unwavering loyalty to President Donald Trump. Wong’s new communications director, Bobby Eberle, is a Republican commentator and the immediate past president of the Fort Bend County GOP.
While there’s an argument to be made that the Fort Bend County government needed a leader to direct policy during the months before the November election, it could have been a retired politician, a neutral figure or just someone who wasn’t already on the ballot, Rottinghaus said.
“You have to balance the need with the optics of making a political choice and putting someone in office before their time that gives them a political advantage,” he said. “We’re in a moment where partisanship rules the day and good governance tends to take a backseat. If there is a line to be drawn, it seems like people are more willing to let it be drawn closer to the partisan outcome than not.”
The Fort Bend County judge earns an annual salary of $188,000 and is elected to a four-year term.
